Hishammuddin Hussein

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Yang Berhormat Dato' Seri  Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein
Malaysian Minister of Education
Incumbent
Assumed office  March 30, 2004
Constituency	Sembrong
Chairman of UMNO's Youth Wing
Incumbent
Assumed office  March 30, 2004
Malaysian Minister of Youth and Sport
In office 1999 – March 30, 2004
Succeeded by	Azalina Othman Said
Born	August 5, 1961 (1961-08-05) (age 46)
Political party	UMNO part of Barisan Nasional
Spouse	Yang Mulia Datin Seri Tengku Marsilla Tengku Abdullah
Occupation	Member of Parliament Minister
Religion	Islam

The Federal Government of Malaysia
Ministry of Education Malaysia {{{malay_name}}}
Minister	Hishammuddin Hussein
Deputy Minister	Dr. Wee Ka Siong Datuk Razali Ismail
Chief Secretary	Tan Sri Dr. Zulkurnain Awang
Established date	1956
Key agencies	Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka
	Majlis Sukan Sekolah-Sekolah
	Institut Terjemahan Negara Malaysia
	Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia
	Lembaga Peperiksaan Malaysia
Location	Putrajaya
Website	http://www.moe.gov.my

Dato' Seri Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein (born August 5, 1961) is a Malaysian politician and member of United Malays National Organization (UMNO). He is the current Malaysian Education Minister, having served since March 30, 2004. He is also the Chairman of the Youth Wing of UMNO.

[edit] Biography

Hishammuddin is the son of Tun Hussein Onn, the third Prime Minister of Malaysia and the grandson of Onn Jaafar, the founder of UMNO and a Malayan freedom fighter. He is also the cousin of the current Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He was attending Malay College Kuala Kangsar before his father became Deputy Prime Minister in 1973. Upon his father's appointment to the post, he attended the Alice Smith School in Kuala Lumpur before he transferred to a private school abroad. Next, he attended the University of Wales, Aberystwyth where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) in 1984. He also attended London School of Economics and received a Master of Laws (LL.M) in Commercial and Corporate Law in 1988.

Prior to his commencing his political career, Hishammuddin was formerly a lawyer with the large Malaysian firm then known as Skrine & Co. (now known as Skrine) and later, a firm then known as Lee Hishammuddin (now known as Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill).

His wife, Yang Mulia Tengku Datin Seri Marsilla Tengku Abdullah, is a princess from the state of Pahang, Malaysia.

[edit] Keris controversy

Hishammuddin's act of waving the keris (traditional Malay dagger) at the UMNO Annual General Meeting in 2005 drew applause from the UMNO delegates.

In 2005, Hishammuddin became infamous for waving the keris (traditional Malay dagger) at the UMNO Annual General Meeting. Commentators perceived this action as meant to defend ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy) and to threaten those who opposed the Malay special rights as set out in Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia and in the social contract. Although applauded by the Malay delegates, the picture of Hishammuddin with the keris was widely ridiculed and parodied in the Malaysian blogosphere.

The 2006 UMNO Annual General Assembly was noted for controversial statements made by several delegates, such as Hashim Suboh, who asked Hishammuddin when he would "use" the keris; Hishammuddin had again brandished the keris at the assembly that year. The assembly was the first to have its entire proceedings televised in full. Several delegates raised the issue of the Malay Agenda, and called for greater enforcement of the NEP.^[1]

In response to concerns over the racial rhetoric, Vice President Muhyiddin Yassin said that "Although some sides were a bit extreme [this year], it is quite normal to voice feelings during the assembly."^[2]

The Deputy Chief of the Youth wing, Khairy Jamaluddin, insisted that "while there is nothing extraordinary about this year’s congress and that similar sentiments have been raised in the past, these feelings have never compromised the ultimate manifestation of governance in this country through BN’s power-sharing formula."^[3]

Hishammuddin also defended the delegates' actions, saying that events earlier in the year related to the status of Islam in Malaysia and the NEP had "played on the Malay psyche. If they had not been allowed to release their feelings in a controlled channel, it could have been even worse." He defended his usage of the keris, saying it was meant "to motivate the Malays" and that it "is here to stay", denying that it was a symbol of Malay supremacy (ketuanan Melayu).^[4]

Hishammuddin also asserted that "The keris is on the Umno flag...It is a symbol of Malay culture. You give keris as gifts to non-Malays, and non-Malays give them to me at functions." However, Chinese politicians declared themselves unconvinced by Hishammuddin's explanations, with the Malaysian Chinese Association (a member of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition) Youth chief, Liow Tiong Lai, saying that "If I hold a Chinese sword at a wushu function, it would be different than if I hold one at a political event. This was a political function, so it is seen in a different context. It can create uneasiness."

One commentator suggested that "A keris does not make people uncomfortable. It is the gesture and brandishing that makes people uncomfortable", while a Chinese political analyst said that "You say the keris is a cultural symbol, but it is a cultural symbol of violence." Hishamuddin later vowed not to repeat the keris wielding incident. He would bring a cangkul (garden hoe) to the 2008 General Assembly.^[5]

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] Other references

• Ooi, Jeff (2005). "The 30% solution". Retrieved Nov. 17, 2005.